Motion sickness. Although I am lucky to not have had too many run-ins with it, I hate the feeling. The worst is when motion sickness hits in a car ride- or, on a roller coaster you were forced to go on *ahem*.

About one third of people are susceptible to motion sickness, and in the U.S. space program almost 50% of astronauts have experienced vertigo.

There are many techniques and tips you can use to help minimize your chances of getting motion sickness, including drinking some herbs before and after you experience motion sickness.

Note: this is from my own experience and by no means am I a doctor. Please consult with your physician or qualified health care professional if you experience severe motion sickness.

A few tips that I have found helpful:

• Stay sober – don’t start out on a car ride with a hang over. Eeee bad idea. Trust me.
• Sleep Up! Make sure you get a decent nights rest prior to taking any trips
• Reading: Not recommended as it will increase any motion sickness you might be experiencing; instead try listening to music.
• TV: Same thing as reading – try to avoid it when a passenger in a car.
• Ginger: Ginger is awesome for combating motion sickness. If you can get your hands on some ginger tea go for it, or try ginger candy.
• Peppermint: Peppermint is also strongly recommended for helping with motion sickness.

Updates:

Remember our contest is still on until Feb 28th! Just comment and you could win some matcha tea.

Finds Clinical Trials by Tufts University in Boston

 So the news was bound to make the front page: Canadians are suffering from hypertension at an unprecedented rate. Nearly one fifth of adults (or 4.6 million of us) has hypertension or high blood pressure. And similar studies have been released linking hypertension to the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. Although Canada may lead the world in treatment for hypertension there are some preventative steps that we can take to avoid going down that road altogether, or at least lessen the chances.

The February issue of The Journal of Nutrition published a study that suggests that having just three cups a day of Hibiscus tea could help to lower blood pressure formed by mild hypertension in adults.

In the clinical study 65 participants were given either 3 240ml servings of brewed hibiscus tea or a placebo.

The results?

After six weeks hibiscus tea lowered systolic blood pressure by a margin of 7-percent while also lowering diastolic blood pressure by 3-percent.

The conclusion of the study was summarized in an abstract:

“These results suggest daily consumption of hibiscus tea, in an amount readily incorporated into the diet, lowers BP in pre- and mildly hypertensive adults and may prove an effective component of the dietary changes recommended for people with these conditions”

 What Else Can We Do?

Dr. Norm Campbell, medical professor at the University of Calgary (Alberta) has a few suggestions:

“The good news is there’s a multitude of different things we can do. A healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat is very effective, as is regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight,” said Campbell.

I’ll raise a glass of hibiscus tea to that.

So it’s cold & flu season. Bleh. I’ve already survived a run in with H1N1 (aka swine flu or Hamthrax) back in October…it was a mild case but still would have preferred not to get it. And over the weekend I noticed a little *tickle* in the back of my throat. Uh-oh. Time to take some precautionary steps. I already take multi vitamins, drink lots of fluids, excercise on a constant basis but sometimes it’s inevitable. Well not this time…nope. No way. Like the great Jesse Ventura (in Predator) once said ‘I ain’t got time to bleed’.

False alarm. Must have been my constant chatting as of late. Well it gave me the opportunity to test out a mouth rinse that I came across that incorporated tea.  I dug into my vaults and retrieved this great recipe that uses chai tea. The spicy notes of the chai (cardamom, anise, ginger) really help to freshen your breath.

Chai Mouth Wash

• 2 drops clove oil
• 2 drops cinnamon oil
• 2-3 tbsp vodka
• 1 1/2 cups distilled water
• 1/2 cup brewed chai tea

Combine the clove and cinnamon oil with the vodka in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Pour in the water and chai, then mix well. Use about a tablespoon at a time and refridgerate the rest. Can be stored for about a week in the fridge.

I’ve read and been told many differing recommendations for how much water a person should drink in a day.  Can you drink too much? How much should I drink to lose weight? These are common questions about the oldest beverage in history and a vital link to every living thing.

8 Glasses a day – is this enough?

It really depends on what your goals are.  If you are looking to maintain your current weight and be properly hydrated then 8 glasses is a good rule to follow.  However there are many variables that can alter this amount – your age, weight, and physical activities should all be taken into account.  For a 2,000 calorie diet eight glasses is about right, but if your caloric intake is less or more then it should be adjusted accordingly.  A good rule of thumb is one milliliter of water for every calorie consumed per day.

Signs that you may be dehydrated:

• Headaches, dark yellow urine, dry mouth, difficulty concentrating, and feeling sick after a workout
• Hungry – sometimes this can be confused with being dehydrated as the signals that our bodies give off for both feelings are similar in nature.  Give a glass a water a try before reaching for a bite to eat.

A kick of flavor without the added calories

Some days I find it more of a chore to try to chug back my daily water requirements.  Instead of cutting it short I prefer to reach for some quick non (or low) calorie options:

• Spa in a bottle: Toss in some citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime slices) and fresh mint.
• Slice and dice: cucumbers and cranberries are fantastic
• Herbal Iced teas: many herbal teas taste great chilled and add little or no calories. We recommend this berry tea.
• Frozen berries: as they defrost they slowly infuse their flavors into your water – and keep it chilled longer.

Water Intoxication: Is it real?

Well technically yes, it is possible to have too much water. Also referred to as water poisoning or hyper hydration, an excess of water can break down the levels of electrolytes in your body- leading to unnecessary stress on your heart and ultimately to a heart attack.  A rare occurrence but it has happened in the past.  Sticking to 8 to 10 glasses of water a day is well within the safe zone of water hydration.